soule



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. W. SOULE.

COTTON PRESS. No. 341,070. Patented May 4,1886.

2 l/VVEA/TOR i O Aflorney N4 PETERS, FnOm-Lflhngmphur. Washingtnn. D. r;

3 Sheets Sheet 2.

G. W. SOULE.

COTTON PRESS.

Patented May 4 1886.

(No Model.)

ll! l ihnh,

N. PETERS, PhowLilhogr-whcr. Washington, D. c.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

' G. w. SOULE.

COTTON PRESS.

Patented May 4, 1886..

INVE/VTOI? flomey (No Model. 3 Sheets Sh et 2-.

egwIsOmE. coww oqriipss.

- Patented May 4, 1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEo UEOltLill W. SOULE, OF MERIIHAN,llllSSlbbllll.

COTTON-PRESS.

Application filed August 5, 18.55.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, (lnoiuin 250111.12, of Meridian, in the county ofliauderdale and State ofMississippi, haveinvcnted certain new and usefulimprovementsin Gotten-Presses; and 1. dohereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to "lake and usethe Same.

My invention relates to an improvement in cotton prcsscs.

The object is to provide a self-packing press and means for operatingthe same in a simple aml effective manner.

A further object is to provide an economical construction of the mainframe and movable Darts without diminishing theinstrength anddurability.

A further object is to provide an extended rcceivinghopper, by means ofwhich the cotton or other fibrous material may be introduced rapidly andin large bunches beneath tlle follower.

\Vith these ends in view my invention coir sists ill-certain features ofconstruction and combinations of parts, as will be hereinafterdescribed, and pointed out in the'claims.

1n the accompanying drawings, ltigure .l is a view of the press in sideelevation. Fig. 2 is a view of the same in end elevation. Fig. 3 is aplan view, and l igs. 4 and 5 represent detached views of parts.

The bed or base of the main frame consists of a series ofsills, A, lyingparallel with one another and a short distance apart. The number ofsills A may be eight or more or less, as found most-expedient. 'lhey aree0nstrnr-li-d thin and deep. lteneath the outer and middle sills A areplaced similar sills, B, their upper edges resting in snug contact withthe lower edges of the sills A, and con heeled therewith by bolts a. Oneor more eross-girders, [1, are mortiscd halt into the sills A and halfinto the sills 1 thereby forming a solid support, for such ofthe sills Aas are not supported orstrengtheued by sills'l Four uprights, U, aresecured at the four corners--- one at each being shouldered and tirmlybolted between the two outside sills. The two pairs of end uprights, (l,are connected at the top by cross-heads c, and the two pairs of LAJZ'IGNforming part of Letters Patent No. 341,070, dated May 4, 1.886.

Serial No.1tZLG22. No moth-1.1

side girders are connected by the pairs of beams 1) I) and (I, locatedat the top of the pressbox, above the feed and near the top of theuprights, respectively. braces (t, are'sceu red 1 o the beams .l.) 1'),to give the framework additional tirmuess, and two of the diagonallyoniosite uprights (J are eonneeted at their tops by the double beam l).

.1! represents the press-box, provided with the swinging sides andremovable ends, as is usual. The upper end of the pressbox is providedwith laterally-extending oblique flanges f, which serve to form anenlarged hopper for feeding the cotton or other fibrous material to thebox.

G is the follower or nn'ivable platen. It is constructed of a series ofthin deep sills, 1, lying leng hwise of the. i tlatnu ermnnetxrul ontheir upper edges by erosslics and on thcirlowcr edges by cross-planksCleats G are also secured at suitable intervals on the lower sides ofthe planlv's 1 The side sills, 1 are further strengthened by uppersill-sections, 1, secured thereto by bolts extending through the two orby means of corner-cleats Or by both. The opposite sides of the followerare provided with upwardly-exteuding guides .l l, which extend throughslots ll, formed in blocks It, secured to the beams ii) and (Z, andserve to st cady the follower in its upwardand downward movement, andcause it to enter the top of the press-box without catching on the sidesor ends thereof.

Two sets of levers, K, or two lovers coniposed of several sections, arepivoted at their lower ends to the base-sills by means of bolts or rods1, which extend transversely through the sills and levers near theirends.

The several sort ions ol' the lovers :lilive (more or less) innumber--are each pivoted between two of the sills The sect-ions 7.: arefurther seen red together by cross-heads l." and 'crossties 1..

Two sets of live-levers, l1, ortwo levers com posed of severalsect-ions, 1 six (nun-cor less) in number -are pivotallyseeured to thelevers K, near their upper ends, and to the ends of the sills on themovable platen by bolts or rods t, which extend through the sections!and It and theseetionsl andsills 1 res n-(:tively. The sections Zalternate with the sect ions hand sills g, respectively. The sections 1are fur- Short diagonal I ther secured together by cross-ties 1*. A setof loose pulleys or sheaves, M, is secured in the upper end of each ofthe levers K, The pulleys M are preferably mounted on a common rod, m,one pulley being located between each two successive leve sections 7.1.The lever-sections and cross-heads thus form housings for the pulleys,and prevent the ropes from displacement, thereby saving the expense ofblocks or independent housings. There is a simple operating-shaft, N,located transversely of the press near its base at one end. The shaft Nis journaled in suitable bearings, 01, secured to the uprights, and isprovided with a band-pulley, O, rigidly secured on one of its ends. Theshaft N is also provided with two spools, I" and Q, adapted to receivethe two ropes, which depress and elevate the follower, rcspcctively..The rope R, which serves to depress the follower, is secured to thespool P, and leads from thence over one of the middle pulleys in the endof the lever K, and from the middle of thebeam L, thence downwardly toand around a pulley, a, secured to the follower, thence over a' pulley,s, mounted'ncar the middle of the beam E, thence down to and around apulley, r, secured to the follower, and thence up to the beam E, towhich it is secured. It will be observed that a strain on the rope Rwill tend to draw the upper ends of thelevers K toward each other, andthereby depress the follower, and also that a strain on the rope S willtend to elevate the follower.

The two-spools P and Q. are loosely mounted on the shaft N, and adaptedto be thrown into and out of engagement with clutches p and q on theshaft N, as follows: When the shaft is slid toward the left, the end. ofthe spool P bears against one of the shaft-bearings, and the clutch p isthrown into engagement therewith, and the follower thereby lowered. Theclutch q is in the meantime-held out of engagement with the spool Q, bya lug. t, on the shifter-rod T, and therefore pays out rope S as therope R is wound up. When, however, the shaft Nis slid to th'e right, theclutch q engagesthe spool Q, and the spool l. is disengaged, and therebyallowed to unwind the rope R as fast as the rope Sis wound. \Vhen theshifter-lever rod T is half-way between the twocxtremes, the spools areboth disengaged from their clutches, and theshaft N is allowed to runfreely. The shifter-rod T has a hearing at its lower end in abracket-arm, V, secured to the upright O, and near its,upper end in abracket-arm, V. The rod T is provided with a pair of jaws or arms, 15',at its lower end, which engage a loose collar, t,

attached to an oscillating cam standard or lever, "W, pivotally securedto the beam D and adapted to engage a cam projection, 10, on the end ofthe follower as thelatter reaches its elevated position. The effect ofthe en gagement of the cam in with the oscillating lever \Vis to throwthe latter back, and thereby twist the rodT toward the right, and henceshift the shaft N toward the left, thereby releasing the clutch qfronithe spool Q, and thus automatically stopping the upward movement of thefollower. The angle-arm t is also brought into engagement with a cam,10', on a section Zof the live-lever L at the moment when the followerreaches its depressed position, which engagement throws the lever W inthe opposite direction, and hence turns the rod T toward the left andthe shaft N toward the right, thereby releasing the clutch p from thespool P, and allowing the follower to stop and the shaft N to run free.Around one flange of the outer spool (or the spool for elevating thefollower) passesayielding metallic strap, W, which latter is adapted toact as a brake. end to the frame of the machine, and is provided at itsopposite end with a hole for the passage of a bolt, 10', also secured tothe machine-frame. This box-t is preferably screwthreaded, and can, ifdesired, be provided with a head for screwing and unscrewing the bolt,or it can be provided with a; nut. In either event a spring is placedbetween the free end of the metallic strap and the head of the bolt ornut, and yieldingly holds the strap in contact with the flange of thewheel. The strap'is so applied to the parts that when the spool isturning in the direction to elevate the follower the flange moves towardthe spring, and there is little or no friction applied, but when turningin the opposite direction This strap is rigidly secured at one the strapoffers considerable resistance, and

prevents the follower from falling rapidly. A ratchet, a2, is secured onthe end of the spool P,and a gravity-pawl, :0, adapted to engage theratchet is pivoted to a lug, x", on the shaft.- bearing. The pawl 00 israised by a rod, at", attached to a lever having an elongated slot inits end, extending upwardly to the end of a engage the anglearl'n at anearlier or later moment,and stop the downward motion of the follower indifferent positions; or the anglearrn I? might be extended andaccomplish the same purpose. The upper portion of the press-box iscontracted more or less by means -,of inwardly-projecting shoulders wformed cit-her by the ends of the planking forming the sides and ends ofthe upper portionof the box, or by means of separate obliquefaced cleatsseen red on theinside of the planking. As

the material is forced downwardly through the contracted portion,it iscompressed, and'when it reaches the enlarged lower portion of the box itnaturally expands, and thereby locks itself against a return upwardmovement.

The operation of the whole is as follows: Suppose the follower to beelevated, and the shaft N to be running at the desired rate, when thepress-box is filled with material to be pressed the operator presses thelever on I therod T inwardly, and thereby sets the spool spool l andclutching the spool Q.

lower now uses, while a new mass of cotton P150 rotatingand t-hcleversKbeginning to approach and force the follower downwardly, if there hasnot enough material been received to form a bale the operator, after thefollower has traveled downwardly far enough to slightly compress theamount received, reverses the movement of the follower by drawing theoperating-let'er outwardly, thereby releasing the The folis beingcollect-ed, and as soon as itreachesits upward limit the new chargereceived, and the follower again caused to pack it down. When enough hasbeen received to form a bale.

, the follower is allowed to travel downwardly Lil , accomplishes itswork, it does away with the help of one or more men. Cotton may also befed into its hopper directly from a ginning, machine, it being capableof baling it as fast as a first-class gin can furnish it.

It is evident that many slight changes in the construction andarrangements of the several parts might be resorted to without departingfrom the spirit and scope of my invention;

hence I do not wish to limit myself strictly to the construction hereinset forth; but

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1-. A bed or base for a baling-press, consisting, essentially, of theupper and lower sills and the cross girders secured in mortises formedin the adjacent faces of the upper and lower sills, substantially as setforth.

3. in a billing-press, the combination, with apress-box, of afollow-block or verticallymovable platen provided on opposite sideswithupwardly projecting gnidestandards and slotted guide-blocks secured tothe pressframe above the pressbox and adapted to receive theguide-standards and guide the followblock in its movements,substantially as set forth.

3. The combinatiomwith the press-box,open at its upper end, of a flaringhopper, snbstair tially as described, secured to and forming acontinuation of said upper end, for receiving the cotton in largemasses, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a box, a follower, and levers for moving thefollower, of a shalt, a spool loosely mounted thereon, a rope se curedto said spool for elevating the follower, a second spool loosely mountedon said shaft, a rope secured thereto and connected directly with thefollower, for depressing the follower, and devices whereby either spoolcan be locked to the shaft or both spools be permittcd to remainstationary while the shaft is moving.

5. The combination, with a press-box, afollower, and levers connectedwith the follower, ofa driving-shaft, two spools loosely mountedthereon, ropes connecting the spools to the lovers and follower,substantially as described, clutch mechanism for locking either spool tothe shaft, and devices for automatically operating the clutch when thefollower reaches either limit of movement.

6. The combination, with a press-box, follower, and levers connectedwith the follower, of a longitudinally-movable drive-shaft, two spoolsloosely mounted thereon, and ropes connecting one spool with thefollower and the other spool with the levers, clutch mechanism forlocking the shaft to either spool, and devices for moving the shaftlongitndinally.

7 The combination, with the press-box, follower, and the levers,substantially as described, pivotal'ly secured to the follower and tothe base of the press, of the driving-shaft, the spools loosely mountedthereon, the ropes connecting one spool to the follower and the othersto the levers, and clutch mechanism for locking either spool to theshaft.

8. The combination, withaprcss-box, afollower, and levers for operatingthe follower,

of a shaft, two spools mounted thereon, a rope connecting one spool withthe follower, a rope connecting the other spool with the lovers, and afriction-brake in contact with the spool connected with the follower,for preventing said spoo. from rotating rapidly in one direction.

9. The combination, with a press-box, afollowerfiandlcvers connectedwith the follower,

of a shaft, 'two spools loosely mounted thereon, ropes connecting thespools and follower and levers, as described, a yielding frictionbrakein contact with one of said spools, and a screw for regulating thetension of said brake, substantially as set forth.

4 l ammo 10. Theeombination, with a press-box, afolw. lower, and leversfor depressing the follower, of a shaft, spools loosely mounted thereon,de vices for locking either spool to the 'shaft, a shifting-lever foroperating said devices, and devices operated by the levers forturningsaid shifting-lever, sulxstantially as set forth;

'11. The combii ation, with a follower and levers for operating thefollower, of a' shaft, two spools connected, respectively, with thefollower and lever, clutch devices for, locking the spools to the shaft,and a shifting-lever, and two stops, one permanent and the otherremovable, and both connected with the shifting-lever, whereby themovement of the follower can be automatically checked by the removablestop before it completes its descent, or automatically checked after itreaches the limit of its downstroke, substantially asset forth.

12. The combination, with a press-box and follower, of a drive-shaft,spools and ropes for elevating and lowering the follower, a shift:

jug-lever, and a stop or trip device for auto-- matically"disconnectingthespool which elevates the follower from the drive-shaft ,s vhen thefollower reaches the limit of its upstroke.

13. The combination, with a press-box, follower, and the levers arrangedsubstantially as shown, of the pulleys arranged between the levers,which form housings therefor, a shaft, a drum mounted on said'shaft,audit rope connected with the drum and passing around the pulleys,substantially as set forth.

v'L i. In a billing-press, two windlasses mounted upon a longitu-diuallymovable shaft,forsecuring both an upward and a downward movement offollow' bloek, with the Windlass-shaft running continuously in onedirection, substantially as set forth.

15. In a bEIIiHg-PIGSS, two windlasses mounted upon one shaft, arrangedin such manner that either may be driven by said shaft at will ofoperator, or both left still while Windlass is running, substantially asset forth.

1 6. In a baling-pness, the combination, with a vertically movableplaten or follower, of two windlasses mounted on a single shaft anddevices connecting both windlasses with the platen, for securing botlran upward and downward'lmovement of the plat'en,,with the Windlass-shaftrunning continuously in one directioni' i 17. In abalingpress, thecombination, with two windlasses mounted on a single shaft, of averticallyniovable follower or platen connectedtdboth windlasses anddevices for locking eitlier ndlass to the shaft, whereby the moveiiien'tojt'fthe plate 11 can be reversed at any de sired point-without changingthe direction of the actuating-power, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed. this specification ill i118 presenceof two subscrily ing witnesses.

UEO'RI l E W. SOULE.

witnessfg sz

